NFL Owners Contemplating 'Nuclear Option' With Jerry Jones

FRISCO, TX-- Team owners in the NFL are considering an option that could force Jerry Jones to sell the Dallas Cowboys.

Jones has been boisterous in his opinion of the six-game suspension of star running back Ezekiel Elliot. The Cowboy's owner has gone as far as threatening the league with legal action with regard to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's contract extension as a sort of revenge for Elliot's suspension.

That threat has caused ripples among the league's owners. The ripples have extended as far out as the owners considering enacting a clause in the league's constitution that could see Jones forfeit his ownership of the Cowboys, according to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio.

But that's not the likely action the owners are thinking of taking.

Jones was issued a cease-and-desist warning Monday. If he does not comply, the league is likely to fine, take away draft picks, or even suspend the Cowboy's owner.

For a while, it looked as though Jones was the ruler of the NFL, meaning this backlash comes as a bit of a surprise.

Jones' vision for AT&T Stadium in Arlington as a tourist destination as well as a competition venue has led organizations like the Atlanta Falcons to follow his lead and build billion dollar stadiums.

But some owners have shifted their views against those of Jones. This shift comes on the heels of a reported interaction between Jones and Papa John's CEO John Schnatter in which Jones tried to convince Schnatter to bash the NFL for a loss of revenue that stemed from declining ratings and poor leadership.

If Commissioner Goodell feels that a simple monetary fine is not enough, the matter will then be turned over to the NFL's Executive Committee which could force Jones to sell his franchise if the committee deems it necessary.